


Two Boys Kissing

by theinsanelycool



Category: Six of Crows - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts AU, M/M, a lot of jesper flirting, also it’s modern au, jesper flirting, jesper is fuckboy #1, kaz is done with everyone’s shit, nina and inej being amazing wingwomen, wylan is in denial, wylan’s dad is homophobic and can go die in a hole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-08-02 23:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16314275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinsanelycool/pseuds/theinsanelycool
Summary: Ravenclaw boys are cute, according to Jesper Fahey.AKA how it all begins: a lot of innuendoes, two great wingwomen, and one nerdy kid who doesn’t know what to do.





	1. One Boy Flirting

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh, yeah. First work on AO3 and in the fandom.........enjoy!!!!  
> Please let me know if you like it and comment below to let me know if you’d like me to publish more or how to make this shit better.  
> Thanks for reading!

A dark skinned boy in a Gryffindor uniform slides onto the bench on the other side of the table. “Is this seat taken?”  
Wylan looks up from his book about nuclear fusion just long enough to look the guy over. Dark skin, dark hair, smile that means he’s probably bad news…...and he’s a Gryffindor. Lovely. Wylan clears his throat, “Um, shouldn’t you be sitting with your own house?”  
The other guy smiles wider. “Well, Ravenclaw boys are more cute. Can you blame me?”  
Ah, fuck. Wylan can feel a blush rising, easy to see on his pale skin. He quickly ducks his head. “Um, yeah, okay, um…..” Now he can’t stop babbling. “I, uh, I’m not sure what you mean?” Of course, Wylan knows exactly what the guy means, but it’s easier to appear clueless than to screech something along the lines of “CAN YOU STOP WITH THE INNUENDOS THANK YOU GOOD DAY TO YOU SIR”.  
As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he can see he’s just given the Gryffindor more ammunition to use against him. “Well….” He repeats, gearing up for another innuendo. Wylan can see it in the way his eyebrows are raised, and that smile…..god, that- OKAY FOCUS ON THE BOOK. “I could demonstrate what I mean, if you’d like. For, uh, academic purposes.”  
Wylan chokes and launches into a coughing fit, his body apparently unable to handle some light flirting.  
The boy bursts out laughing. Christ, even his laugh is beautiful. Goddamnit.  
Wylan finally manages to gain control of his breathing enough to glare at the person across from him. “What’s your name?”  
“Oh, you can call me whatever you like, sweetheart.”  
Wow. So he’s….unashamedly flirting now. Alright. Wylan Van Eck is not having a slight panic attack over this situation. Not at all. He clears his throat again, pointedly.  
The guy rolls his eyes. “Jesper Fahey. What’s yours?”  
He debates giving his name to this clearly untrustworthy person. For a fraction of a second before he blurts out, “Wylan Van Eck.”  
Jesper laughs again and Wylan’s heart does amateur gymnastics in his chest. “Nice to meet you, Wylan Van Eck. It’s a very intimidating name for someone so cute. More like Van Sunshine.”  
This time, Wylan has no trouble focusing the full force of his death glare on the Gryffindor.  
Jesper just grins. “Ha, ha, that’s cute, I should introduce you to some friends of mine. I’ll see you later, Van Sunshine.” He gets up and walks back to his own table.  
Wylan waits a valiant 20 seconds before putting his head down on his book and emitting a low groan. He is so fucked.

Jesper sits down on the Gryffindor table. (Chairs are for people less fabulous than him.)  
Nina yelps and uses her wand to move a giant plate of waffles a second before he sits on it. “Um, Fahey? Waffles?! Food does not taste as good once your butt has been on it!”  
He rolls his eyes and retorts, “In my experience, everything tastes better once my butt has been on it.” The innuendoes are just second nature to him now - he doesn’t even have to think about them.  
His friend groans and pretends to throw up. He just laughs. They both know she loves him. “So how’d it go with Cute Nerdy Boy?”  
“Is that his name now?”  
“Yes, it is. How’d it go?”  
“Well….” He snags a waffle from the plate, to Nina’s indignation. “It went well. I flirted, he got flustered, I’d call it a success.”  
She stares at him for a second before demanding, “And?!”  
“And what?” What more does she want from him? He’s just flirted with a guy who’s clearly straight or so deep in the closet he’s reached Narnia. What more is there to do?  
“Did you ask him out?” She says it like it’s the most obvious course of action in the world.  
Jesper laughs. Ask him out? Yeah, right. It doesn’t matter how cute his curly red hair looks or how frustratingly adorable he might get when he’s flustered. The guy is straight or in denial and Jesper Llewelyn Fahey has only one rule when it comes to who he dates - they have to be open to dating him. And Van Sunshine, with his red hair and Ravenclaw uniform, would clearly have a stroke if Jesper Llewelyn Fahey walked up to him and said something along the lines of “Hello, fancy a shag?”  
He clears his throat. “No. Why would I? The guy’s a child! He almost passed out when I tried some mild flirting! He cannot handle the true force that is me.”  
Now it’s Nina’s turn to roll her eyes. “Can anyone?”  
“That is a fair point.”  
She sighs. “Jes, what’s going on? No one’s been good enough for you lately. Hogwarts is running out of guys for you to hit on!”  
He sighs back, lying down as dramatically as he can. “You’re right. This school does not have enough people for me to fuck. It is a constant struggle.”  
She shoves him so that he almost falls off the table.  
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?” He yelps, just managing to stay on the flat surface.  
“ASK HIM OUT, FAHEY,” his so-called friend yells, loud enough for the entire room to hear.  
Jesper scrambles to his feet in order to glare at Nina Zenik properly. Everyone is looking over at them, their emotions ranging from the amused expression on Inej’s face to the mix of terror and confusion on Wylan’s…...oh fuck, Wylan.  
Van Sunshine has looked up from his book (shocking) to stare at him and even though he’s halfway across the crowded room, just his gaze alone is enough for Jesper to feel like he’s about to spontaneously combust.  
And then Jesper Llewelyn Fahey does something that is definitely not like him and goes against the one rule he has ever set for himself.  
“Fine,” he mutters. “I’ll ask him out.”


	2. One Boy Asking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you want to go out with me?”  
> DUN DUN DUN  
> Read the chapter to see what happens. :)

Oh god. ‘Ask him out.’ That could mean anything, right? She could mean anyone else in this room, right? The ‘him’ was not Wylan Van Eck, was it? It was not. Definitely not. Oh, fuck.  
Wylan quickly looks down as soon as Jesper catches his eye.  
What did that girl mean? Does Jesper want to ask him out? He seemed pretty mortified when she yelled that out, so probably not, definitely not, and who can blame him, why would he want to go out with someone like Wylan, Wylan’s a complete wreck, and besides, it’s not like Wylan even wants to go out with him because he is probably an asshole and a player and he’s bad news, and even if he was a nice person, he’s a guy, and Wylan’s a guy, and Wylan is not gay, he’s not gay, he’s not-  
“Hi.”  
Startled from his mental breakdown, Wylan gasps and looks up to see Inej smiling at him from across the table. She raises her eyebrows in a way that means she is not going to leave until she gets some answers. “So…”  
He quickly looks back down again. He does actually want to finish this book at SOME POINT. “No.”  
“What was Jesper doing over here?”  
Oh, screw nuclear fusion. “You know him?!”  
“Well, yeah.” She gestures over to the Ravenclaw table. “I’m friends with Nina and she’s friends with him. So what did he say?”  
“Oh, um, n-nothing.” How do regular people talk without having the words get stuck in their mouths.  
The eyebrows go up even higher. “Nothing? He just came over here to enquire about the weather?”  
Wylan tries to look confident in his answer and quite probably fails. “As a matter of fact, that’s exactly why he came over.”  
Inej gives him one of her trademarked looks. “You’re telling me that Jesper Fahey, the biggest fuckboy at this school, came over here to ask you if it’s raining outside?”  
He can feel himself blushing. Christ, his cheeks are probably a lovely shade of Gryffindor red right now. “Yes,” he mutters, knowing full well how pathetic he sounds.  
His friend puts a hand on his shoulder. He looks up. She’s smiling softly at him, her dark brown eyes crinkling at the corners like they always do whenever she smiles. He does not deserve this girl. No one does.  
He can’t help smiling back.  
“Wylan, you know it’s fine if you like guys.”  
And just like that, he pulls back from her hand and looks down at the table. No. He does not like guys. He’s not gay. He’s not. He’s just not. No. His voice comes out quiet and sharper than he intends for it to sound. “I don’t. I’m not…..I don’t.”  
She pulls her hand back and he can see that he’s hurt her. “Fine.”  
“Good.” He swallows down the guilt that comes with hurting his one and only friend and returns to his book.  
After a few minutes, Inej taps on his shoulder and he looks up to see Jesper back at the table, smiling at him. God, that smile. “What do you want?”  
“Out of life in general or just from you?”  
Is this guy trying to give Wylan a heart attack?! “Seriously, what do you want from me?”  
Jesper takes a deep breath and appears almost….nervous. Strange. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy who gets nervous easily. “I want you to go out with me,” he says quickly.  
Okay. Not freaking out. Wylan is not freaking out. It’s just that a guy has just asked him out and he’s a guy who is reasonably attractive and maybe not a complete asshole and maybe it could- no. He’s a guy. Wylan’s a guy. No.  
Wylan closes his eyes for a second and gathers his remaining scraps of dignity to say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t like guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! I’m honestly shocked anyone’s read this so far, it’s pretty shitty if I do say so myself.  
> Thank you for your kudos, everybody! I’ll try to post every week, but that might not be possible cause school (also, I’m lazy). But please comment and let me know how I can make this (shitty) work better!  
> No mourners


	3. One Boy Flying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here’s a fun little chapter where we see some more insight into Jesper and some more Inej and Nina mixed in too!  
> This one’s a big longer than the previous two, so I hope that makes up for the fact that I’m posting two days late. Sorry, guys.  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

A few weeks after the Rejection, as Nina’s been calling it, Jesper walks (well, more like glides, walking is for people less fabulous than him) down the hall while simultaneously trying wrestle his crumpled schedule out of his bag.  
It only takes him about ten minutes to manage it.  
Okay, here we go. Potions….astronomy….flying with the Ravenclaws…...he does a double take. What. Flying…….in the same general area as the guy who rejected him. Is this a fucking joke.  
Apparently not because Nina runs up next to him with a huge grin on her face. “Hey, Jes. Happy you get to spend flying lessons with your boyfriend?” God, he hates her sometimes.  
“He is not my boyfriend. He is straight. He made it very clear.”  
“Uh huh. Sure he is. He’s as straight as a fucking rainbow.”  
Jesper rolls his eyes. One of these days, they’re going to stick like that. “How can you possibly no that? Your gaydar is not exactly on point, milaya maya.”  
She glares. “Okay, first off, don’t you dare insult me in my native language ever again. Second of all, my dearest, my darling, my life, my BEST FRIEND…” He gasps offendedly. “Inej Ghafa told me so.”  
“Yes and I’m sure Inej has a great gaydar since she’s...straight.”  
Now it’s Nina’s turn to roll her eyes. “Whatever, asshole. Let’s just go to class.”

Wylan stumbles across the field in the general direction of where flying class is supposed to meet up. Or so he thinks. He doesn’t remember much from last year’s flying, partly because he fell off a broomstick and had to stay in the medical wing for a week.  
God, he’s so athletic.  
He hoists his bag up on his shoulder and is trying desperately to stuff all 3 of his independent reading books into it (don’t judge him) when he walks right into someone else.   
Wylan mumbles an apology and is ready to walk away when Satan possesses him and makes him look up. Right into the dark brown eyes of none other than Jesper Fahey, the biggest fuckboy at school, who Wylan rejected 18 days ago. Ah, fuck.  
“Oh, uh, sorry, I, uh, didn’t see you there. I’m sorry…” One of these days he’s going to stop stuttering and talk like a regular human. Today is not thate day. He turns around and starts to walk in the other direction when Jesper suddenly reaches out and grabs his arm.  
Electricity shoots through him in the brief moment before Wylan pulls his arm away and whirls around. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.  
Jesper grins. “We’re supposed to go over here for flying lessons.”  
“Oh. Uh…” And suddenly it all comes screaming back to him. Flying. Split with the Gryffindors. Before he can stop himself, Wylan mutters, “Fuck.”  
The other boy looks shocked for a fraction of a second before bursting out laughing. “Watch your fucking language, Van Sunshine. I’m not thrilled to see you either, but at least try to be subtle about it.”  
Wylan’s ready to apologize and assure him that that’s not what he meant at all, that it was just a general ‘fuck’ to the universe when he notices the way Jesper’s eyes are twinkling and figures out that he’s joking. Wylan lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and says, “You asshole.”  
Jesper just laughs louder. “Come on, Sunshine. Let’s go fly. I happen to be very good with long, hard objects.”  
And just like that. He can’t stop coughing. Yet again. Jesper seems to have that effect on him.

Jesper loves flying. He loves everything about it. The cliche feeling of freedom, the air rushing over his bare skin as he goes up and up until everything and everyone is left behind.  
His fascination and unadulterated love for it also means that he is one of the best Quidditch players at Hogwarts. And he would have been the very best if it wasn’t for…  
“Inej.” He smiles his fakest smile possible. “What a...lovely surprise.”  
She fake smiles back. The damn girl looks beautiful in her blue and silver uniform. She’s rolled her sleeves up and put her hair in a messy bun in preparation for her favorite activity. “Jesper. Fancy seeing you here. Are you ready to feel bitter, bitter disappointment as you realize that all of your life dreams are futile and you will never be as good as me?”  
He’ll be the first to admit that sometimes he fucking loves Inej. “You wish, Ghafa.”  
She raises her perfect eyebrows. “It’s on, Fahey.”  
Before Madam Hooch can so much as blow her whistle, both of them are on their brooms and off the ground. Jesper laughs and lets out a cheer as he feels that familiar rush of adrenaline overtake him.  
A few yards away, Inej is standing up on her broom. The teacher is having a heart attack on the ground, yelling something along the lines of “it’s not safe, get down here this instant”, but Jesper and Inej both know that she would never fall. Her willowy frame and lean build make for a perfectly balanced body. She sways from side to side with her arms hanging loosely at her sides, with a faint smile on her lips. She’s like a fish in water.  
He groans and stands up on his own broom. While he’s not quite as well-balanced as his friend, he can definitely hold his own. He looks at Inej and they both smile. There is no feeling better than this.  
Jesper looks down to scan the crowd of spectators that inevitably gathers whenever they show off.  
He notices Wylan standing by himself and staring at him. As soon as he catches his eye, the other boy tentatively waves.   
Jesper grins and waves back, almost losing his balance and earning an onslaught of insults from Inej. After he’s back securely on the broom, he grins again to himself, a warm feeling coursing through his veins. Maybe there’s just one feeling better than flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> As always, please comment on how I can make this shit better!!! (So far the comment section is just throwing shade at Wylan, which is endlessly amusing and I love it, please don’t stop)  
> Next chapter will come on *hopefully* Saturday  
> No mourners


	4. Two Boys NOT Going On A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wylan is in denial.  
> ....that’s it. That’s the whole summary.

They make a perfect landing.  
Wylan huffs, his breath billowing in front of him in the cold autumn air. Of course they do. He can’t stay on his broom and they were off doing flips and death-defying shit and god knows what else.  
As soon as Jesper and Inej’s feet touch the ground, Madame Hooch is screaming at them. While Inej has the decency to look ashamed of herself, Jesper is grinning from ear to ear.  
After a minute or two, Madame Hooch’s anger wears out and she stomps off. The two troublemakers immediately wal over to Wylan, laughing.  
“I thought she’d have a stroke!” Inej’s dark hair is plastered to her forehead with sweat and her usually pristine uniform is crumpled.  
“I know! Poor woman might not survive the next Quidditch match at this rate.” Jesper looks Wylan straight (haha) in the eye and the latter’s breath caught in his throat. God, those eyes…..nope. Focus on the conversation, you pathetic little shit. “How’d you like the show, Van Sunshine?”  
“Oh, you know…” He manages to stop staring at Jesper long enough to fake a grin. “You’re both show-offs.”  
His friend laughs and walks off to talk to Nina Zenik. Wylan shudders at the thought of those two discussing him. The best witches at Hogwarts, with their brown hair and matching sarcasm. What could be more terrifying?  
When he turns his attention back to the other boy, Jesper’s still grinning. “Uh, anyway….I was going to ask you….”  
Not again. Wylan’s heart is beating at an unnatural rate. “Um, didn’t we already talk about this…”  
Jesper’s eyes widen. “Oh, no. Not that. Don’t worry.” He smiles, almost innocently. “I won’t ask you out again.”  
“Okay.” Is this how lungs are supposed to behave? Why won’t they do their job and just breathe like a regular person’s?! “Uh, cool.”  
The Gryffindor raises an eyebrow. “Cool?”  
This guy is insufferable. “What did you want to ask me?”  
“Well, a couple of my friends and I are going to Hogsmeade after school tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come.” Before Wylan has a chance to respond, Jesper adds, “Not a date. Inej’ll be there, so she’ll stop me if I try to ravage you.”  
And….the choking’s back. Jesper laughs as Wylan attempts to death-glare at him while also struggling to breathe.  
“Sure,” he chokes out after he catches his breath. “I’ll come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I actually managed to post on Saturday as promised, this time. (Never mind the fact that this chapter is shamefully short and pretty much nothing happens)  
> Thank you guys so much for all your support!!! I’m very grateful for all the kudos and views and comments. It seriously means a lot to me.  
> Let’s keep up the winning streak (of one chapter) and hopefully post on Saturday again next week!!!! (Probably not, but hey, I hear optimism is a thing people do)  
> No mourners!


	5. Two Boys and Two Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesper and Nina are hell-bent on making Wylan have a stroke, Inej is actually a good friend/person, and Wylan might actually die.

About three hours after school, Wylan is desperately trying to make his hair look like it belongs to a human and not a goddamn pixie. He’s been attempting to do this for the past hour and a half, but no amount of hair product (including the type he borrowed from Inej, whose hair goes down past her waist) seems to work on his red, curly, Leprechaun hair.  
He hears a snicker from behind him and doesn’t need to turn around to know that Inej herself (speak of the devil) is standing in the doorway to the bathroom. He tries to sound offended. “You know it’s not polite to go into other people’s bathrooms.”  
She scoffs. “You know it’s not polite to be late. Your hair looks fine, Wy! Come on, let’s just go!”  
“No.”  
“I swear to God, I will cut off every inch of that hair so you can go to Hogsmeade with a buzz-cut.”  
He flinches because that actually does sound like something she would do. “You know what, you go ahead. I’ll catch up.”  
She grabs him by his arm and drags him out of the dorm and toward the door of the common room, ignoring his weak protests. “You are a pathetic introvert and if I leave you here alone, you’re never going to leave the tower,” she closes the door behind them and guides Wylan down the nearest staircase, “so quit making excuses and let’s go.”  
He sighs and stays silent for about a minute or so. Then he suddenly stops in front of the stairs that lead up to Gryffindor tower. “What if they don’t like me? What are your friends even like? Are they all like Jesper and Nina because, if so, I don’t think I can handle a minute with them, let alone an entire evening and what if they don’t like me, I know they’re not going to like me and I- I-“ He can feel the anxiety coursing through him and he knows that he should stop it, he should stop talking, he’s embarrassing himself, but now he can’t talk and he can’t do anything and it’s all-  
“Wylan. Breathe.” Her hands are on his shoulders and she’s looking straight at him. Almost despite himself, he takes a shuddering breath. “You’re going to be fine. My friends have very low standards.” He huffs out a laugh.  
“Well, that must be true. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let you come along.”  
Her dark brown eyes widen at that and she scoffs. “You are an asshole, my good sir.”  
A female voice with a hint of a Russian accent comes from the staircase about them. “Who’s an asshole? This cinnamon roll over here?” The dark-haired Gryffindor girl- Nina skips down the stairs and greets Inej with a hug, then turns back to Wylan. “Oh, honey, what happened to your hair? Was there a lightning storm I didn’t know about?” He feels himself blush and Inej elbows her friend in the ribs.  
“I think he looks fine.” Jesper has come down the stairs after Nina and just glancing at him makes Wylan’s heart rate stop because he’s out of his Hogwarts uniform and he’s wearing a tight T-shirt with a leather jacket (A FUCKING LEATHER JACKET) over it and a pair of ripped jeans and Jesus Christ have mercy on Wylan Van Eck’s soul.  
Nina starts laughing. “Jes, I think you broke the poor boy.”  
The Gryffindor puts on an innocent face. “Why? What did I do? Is it the shirt?” He moves the jacket to reveal that his shirt says “Disaster Bisexual” in large font. It takes Wylan a moment to notice that Nina’s wearing the same one.  
“Jesus Fuck,” he mutters.  
Jesper laughs. “Seriously, the mouth on this kid. I think I’m a bad influence on you.”  
“Oh, you definitely are.” Inej shoots him a look. “Where’s Matt meeting us?”  
“At the pub,” Nina sings out as she puts one arm around Wylan and the other around Inej. “Come on, losers. I can’t wait to see Van Sunshine’s reaction to Kaz. This is gonna be great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, okay.  
> So I’m really really really sorry it took me so long to post (over a week, I think, I lost track of time) and I don’t have a good excuse other than personal shit that happened and a shit-ton of writer’s block that happened because of the aforementioned shit.  
> Anyway, I hope you guys forgive me and thank all of you so much for your ongoing support!!!  
> I’m honestly shocked at the number of hits and kudos and comments this has received! So glad you like my shitty amateur writing!!!  
> I’ll do better with the next chapter, but it might take longer since this is a long one (but we do finally meet all six of the gang so yay)


	6. Kaz Brekker, Ladies and Gentlemen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay! We get to meet the one, the only, the infamous Kaz “Dirtyhands” Brekker!  
> Let’s see if he’s as obnoxious as people think. (Spoiler alert: he is.)  
> Includes two references to quotes from the book because I am a nerd.

“Matthias!” Nina screams as she tackle-hugs the tall, blond stranger standing in front of The Three Broomsticks. It’s probably her boyfriend. Wylan hopes it’s her boyfriend.  
Matthias laughs and kisses Nina on the forehead, somehow managing to remain upright. He looks to be about 6 feet tall and his body is honestly quite impressive. He looks like he could carry his girlfriend around all day and not even break a sweat. Wylan finds himself staring.  
Mr. Tall, Blond, and Handsome puts Nina down and turns his attention to the others. He gives Inej a hug and playfully punches Jesper in the shoulder. Jesper just grins and says, “So, Matt, what’s it like being a fancy Auror? Meet any cute girls?” This time, the punch looks much less playful.  
Nina glares daggers at her friend and puts her hand in Matt’s as she replies, “I’m the only cute girl he’ll ever need.”  
Matt laughs again and agrees. Then he looks at Wylan and oh, shit. Oh, shit, shit, shit, intimidating people looking right at Wylan is not a good situation to be in, oh, god. It takes Wylan a moment to realize that the intimidating person has spoken. “So, did I lose track of how many friends I have or are you new?”  
“I’m new,” Wylan manages to choke out. “Hi, I’m Wylan.”  
Matt shakes his hand. “Are you with Jesper?”  
Inej and Nina both shout, “NO!”  
“What? I’m sorry! I just thought….I’m sorry, it’s just that Inej is with Kaz and hopefully Nina’s only with me, so I thought…”  
Jesper’s laughing way too hard as he says, “No, we’re just friends. Although…”  
Inej covers his mouth and shouts, “NO” again. Then she pulls her hand back in disgust. “You animal! Did you just lick my hand?!”  
“It’s your own fault for touching my mouth! What did you expect from me?!”  
“Who licked your hand?” The voice comes from behind Wylan and he spins around to see that someone else has come out from The Three Broomsticks. The boy can’t be any older than 17. He’s dressed like a teenage Grim Reaper: black waistcoat, dark grey vest, black dress pants, a crisp black hat (Jesus, this guy’s extra), and he’s leaning on a cane that has a crow’s head carved on the top. Wylan only has a second to wonder whether the guy really needs the cane or whether it’s there for aesthetic purposes before the teen incarnation of Death speaks again. His voice is somewhat raspy and somewhat sounds like Wylan is in serious danger of having a crush on this person. “Inej, is this person bothering you?” He gestures loosely at Jesper.  
Jesper gasps. “This person? This person?! We’ve known each other for years, you ungrateful git! We’ve been through shit together and now you refer to me as ‘this person’?! I am hurt.” He’s gesturing angrily while the others laugh their asses off at him. “I am wounded! How could you do this to me, Kaz?” His voice cracks with fake tears. “After all we’ve been through-“  
Kaz cuts him off. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, what’d you expect, a declaration of love? Fine. Dearest Jesper, treasure of my heart, would you please do me the honor of staying the fuck away from my girlfriend?”  
Inej smiles and Wylan’s left to wonder how the fuck a girl as sweet and nice as her is dating someone who has to be at least part vampire.  
Kaz half-smiles back at her and then goes over to shake hands with Matt. “Long time. What’s it like doing honest work? I was going to give it a try one of these days.”  
Matt grins. “Let’s not say things we don’t mean.”  
Kaz’s grin is something both nice and terrifying at the same time. It looks like he could use the same grin while cuddling with his girlfriend or watching the blood drain out of someone’s eyes. Wylan’s certain Kaz has done one of these things and it’s not the first one.  
“And who’s this?” Kaz walks over to him, limping slightly and leaning heavily on his cane. (Ah, so it’s not just for aesthetic, but was the crow head really necessary?) “Wylan Van Eck. Your dad’s rich, isn’t he?” (Jesper mutters, “It’s Van Sunshine.”)  
“H-how’d you know my name?”  
“I know everyone’s names. Thanks to the help of my investment.”  
Inej rolls her eyes and sighs in a way that lets everyone know just how much of a long-suffering girlfriend she is. “Investment?”  
“Valuable investment.”  
Nina gasps, “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to anyone, Kaz!!! Wow!”  
He flips her off and turns his attention back to Wylan. “You be careful around here. I’m not the only one who knows your dad’s rich. Oh, and do yourself a favor.”  
“...what?”  
“Don’t let Fahey win you over. He’s more trouble than he’s worth.” Ignoring Jesper’s continued gasps, Kaz turns around and heads back into the tavern. The others, including Wylan, follow him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, guys, for putting up with me! I know I haven’t updated in forever and I wish I had a good excuse. I really, really wish I did. But all I can say in my defence is 1) anxiety and 2) I put the pro in procrastination....  
> I’m really sorry!!! Thank you so much for all of your support....I can’t believe almost a 1000 people have read this fic...this is going way better than I ever hoped for, so thank you :))  
> Now with that out of the way, I really am trying to do better with posting on time, but now that school’s starting, it might take me a while....again....  
> In the meantime, no mourners.


	7. A Brief Nice Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys (and others who are less important) are hanging out at The Three Broomsticks.  
> Wylan’s flustered.  
> Jesper tries desperately not to notice how cute Wylan is when he’s flustered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: I use the f-word once in this chapter. (And I don’t mean fuck.)  
> It’s said by an OC who is very obviously a negative character and is going to get yelled at in the coming chapters.  
> If you’re like me and the f****t word upsets you or causes any sort of panic attack, please don’t read this chapter or the next one.

Don’t let Fahey win you over. Well, fuck you too, Kaz.  
He’s not even trying to “win him over.” He’s moved on. He might act like a flirtatious bastard, but he’s not going to force himself on every cute straight guy he sees. Contrary to popular opinion.  
Jesper follows Nina over to their usual table and slides into a chair. He puts his feet up on the table and takes a deep breath. The very air in here smells of familiarity and comfort and fire-whiskey - in short, it smells like home.  
He’s probably been here longer than at his actual house, anyway.  
Matt sits down next to his girlfriend, putting his arm around her and pushing Jesper’s feet off the table in one fluid motion. Goddamn Aurors.  
Wylan sits down next to Jesper, looking as awkward as a human being possibly can; his school uniform is unbuttoned, his cloak looks like it hasn’t been washed or ironed in years, and his reddish blond hair is a bigger disaster than Jesper’s love life. Fuck, he’s adorable.  
Van Sunshine clears his throat and somehow manages to look at Jesper without actually making eye contact. “So, uh...you come here often?”  
He almost laughs. The sweet little cinnamon roll with his British accent and unintentional innuendos...DAMN IT, FAHEY, STOP IT. “Uh, yeah, almost every week. Matt only comes once a month, though. Now that he’s a fancy Auror and has abandoned us!” He screams the last few words out in the general direction of Matthias, who just laughs and waves him off.  
Wylan cracks a smile and holy shit, that is the greatest thing Jesper has ever seen. It’s all pure, childish joy mixed with so much anxiety and worry that it looks like Wylan is almost afraid of showing it. Damn it, stop staring at the poor guy, you’re being creepy as fuck. He clears his throat again and says, “Um, and what about Kaz? I haven’t seen him around at school, is he homeschooled?”  
“Oh.” How to explain Kaz and his situation to a rich boy who’s probably never gone a day without food in his life. “Well...yeah, you could say that. He’s self-taught and he lives by himself.”  
“Where are his parents?” Wylan’s eyes widen as he realizes that he said something he shouldn’t have. “I mean, I don’t care, it obviously doesn’t matter, you don’t have to tell me, that’s personal, I-“  
Way more anxiety than I thought. Jesper quickly interrupts before the child has a panic attack, “No, no, it’s fine, it’s alright. I just don’t actually know what happened to his parents. He’s never told any of us. Except maybe Inej, but…” He raises his eyebrows in a way that says, Satan himself couldn’t get a secret out of her.  
The other boy shifts and lets out a short chuckle of a laugh. Jesper has to stop himself from doing whatever he can, saying whatever dumb joke, flirting, making an absolute fool of himself, doing anything to hear that sound again. Fuck.  
He lets out a smile and that’s when it comes.  
A deep voice from behind him calls out, “They really shouldn’t allow fags in here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!  
> (*insert the usual repetitive thing about me procrastinating* I really have no excuses for being this lazy...I’m really really sorry and I do appreciate all of you reading very much.)  
> This one’s still pretty short, but that’s only because I had to end it so I could switch POVs. The next one will be quite a bit longer and should come in the next few weeks or so. Thanks again, I platonically love and appreciate you all!


	8. Mental Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wylan freaks out because the f-word is a trigger (whoda thunk it).

Suddenly Wylan can’t breathe. It was just a random guy, just a random asshole who said that, there’s always random assholes everywhere, but that doesn’t stop his mind from immediately going to the last time his father called him that.  
“I won’t have my son be a faggot.”  
Everything around him fades into a blur. He’s vaguely aware that Jesper is up and shouting at someone behind him. The rest of the group have gotten up as well, but Wylan’s body doesn’t seem to be working.   
“You’re already such a goddamn disappointment, Wylan. First you can’t figure out how to read and now this shit?”  
His dad’s there, in front of him, all over again and Wylan’s hands fly up to protect his face, but it’s all pointless because he’s not good enough, he’s never going to be good enough and how could he even tell his dad something like that, how could he ever be something like that, what is he even thinking?! Someone’s hands are on his shoulders and suddenly he’s breathing way too fast and somewhere Jesper’s still yelling, but none of it’s loud enough to drown out his father’s voice in his head.  
“How did I end up with a son like you?”  
He might as well be 13 again because he feels just like he did the first time his dad hit him and the shock, nausea, and plain fear come rolling back again and he still can’t breathe and he’s covering his face.  
Someone puts an arm around him and takes him outside. Wylan inhales the fresh air and immediately starts coughing, his throat unable to handle that much cold at once. He sinks down with his back against a wall and wraps his arms around his knees.  
His breath is slowly returning now, but the memory of his father is still there. It’s always there.   
Jesper sits down next to him. “I’m sorry, I...I’m really sorry about all of that. That guy was...an asshole, obviously and...I...I’m sorry.” The stuttering is completely out-of-character for him and Wylan can see how uncomfortable he feels.  
“It’s alright.” His voice comes out an octave higher than usual. “It’s not your fault. There’s always assholes.”  
Jesper huffs out a laugh. “Yeah. I think I would’ve hexed him if the others hadn’t been there to stop me. Or I could have gone the Muggle route and just punched him.” He sighs as if imagining the pleasure of breaking the guy’s nose. “I’m half-Muggle, you know, so it would’ve been fitting.”  
“You’re half-Muggle?” Wylan looks up. His breaths are becoming more even.  
“Oh, yeah, didn’t you know? Just my luck: half-Muggle, black, and bisexual. Everyone’s got a problem with me.” He pauses, picking on the edge of his jacket. He seems to be unable to sit still, constantly twitching or shaking or moving in some way. “Are you alright? I mean...I know you aren’t alright, but...are you a bit better now?”  
“Yeah.” Wylan’s surprised to find that it’s true. It usually takes him at least half an hour to pull himself together after one of his breakdowns, but something about Jesper...his energy and the way he talks so quickly, like he’s running out of time and just talking to him...his restlessness seems to calm Wylan down. It’s a constant in Wylan’s messed-up, fluctuating world. He pauses before saying, “I should be used to people saying shit like that by now, but…”  
“It always hurts.” Jesper grins in that way that’s quickly becoming familiar. “Who else has...if you don’t mind me asking, but who else has said that to you?”  
He’s about to say the same lie he’s been telling people for what feels like eternity: just people on the street, strangers, kids at school, but for some reason, he doesn’t feel like lying this time. He’s only told the truth to Inej (one shitty night, after crying for an hour or so), but he feels like he can trust Jesper with his deep, dark secret. When he does speak, it comes pouring out of him. “My dad. He says it a lot, among other things. Most of his insults are centered around my intelligence, but...when I told him I might be gay, he had a field day with it. Just another reason why I’m a goddamn disappointment. He hits me, too. All the time and then he heals the scars so that no one will find out.”  
Jesper sits in silence for a second, staring ahead. Fuck. I fucked up. I shouldn’t have told him, I fucked everything up all over again. He clears his throat and says, “You know, it...it’s alright. If you’re gay. It’s not something to be ashamed of. I get that your dad’s an asshole, but...look, you don’t have to like me or anyone else, but you should accept yourself for who you are. You can’t change that.” He chuckles. “Do what I do: hate yourself for other reasons. For example, you’re a huge nerd. And your hair’s a fucking mess. And-“  
Wylan kisses him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another chapter! Honestly, it took me a while to get this uploaded and I am really sorry.  
> Also, sorry if Wylan seems a bit impulsive at the end, I’m just pulling from my own mental breakdown experiences (in that they make me act like a drunk, impulsive idiot). Please let me know if I did something wrong. I try my best. Thank you for reading!


	9. Holding Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffety fluff fluff. (And Kaz being his pragmatic ace self.)

Jesper’s the one who pulls away. Not because it’s not good. It is, it’s amazing and that is the shocking thing because there is no way that was Wylan’s first kiss. Jesper lets out a gasping laugh because he’s not sure what else you’re supposed to do after you’ve been kissed by a guy who’s so deep in the closet he’s reached Narnia. His hyperactive brain is going even faster than usual, wondering if this was some kind of experiment or if he actually likes him or whether his friends saw that or whether he somehow managed to imagine a kiss that didn’t really happen.  
A quick glance at Wylan, flushed with a slight smile on his face, tells him that he definitely didn’t imagine it.  
Jesper groans and slides down the wall he’s leaning against until he’s practically lying down in the muddy snow. He can feel it soaking through his jacket, but that’s the least of his problems right now.  
He exhales loudly and, keeping his eyes closed so he doesn’t have to look at the other boy, says, “That was...I mean...did you…what the fuck?”  
He immediately realizes that was the wrong thing to say because Wylan scrambles to his feet as fast as humanly possible. “Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking, that was so stupid of me, I just thought...never mind, I’ll just…” Jesper hears him mutter a swear word he didn’t know existed. “..sorry.”  
Jesper opens his eyes and manages to get out of his disaster bi stupor long enough to register that Wylan is now walking away and that gives Jesper all the motivation he needs to pull himself up and stumble in front of the other guy, effectively preventing him from going any further. The snow is officially all over Jesper’s back and he probably looks more insane than romantic when he says, louder than necessary, “Whoah, no, hey, don’t apologize, it was…” He takes his volume down a bit, suddenly aware that he’s standing next to four of his closest friends who can and will use anything he says against him. “It was good.”  
Wylan’s whole face goes red and Jesper finds himself wondering whether he’s more adorable flustered or sarcastic. Wylan runs a hand through his (god-awful) hair and says, “Really?”  
“For fuck’s sake...yes, really, your first kiss was bloody brilliant and made me feel bad about my own abilities, are you happy now?”  
Wylan takes a step back. “...sorry?”  
“Yeah, you should be!” Jesper’s pacing back and forth and he can feel his volume rising again, but, this time, he can’t find it in himself to care as all of the emotions rise up and he thinks he’s going to jump out of his skin. “You’re a fucking liar, Wy. ‘I don’t like guys,’ my ass. You can’t just ...usually, people give some kind of warning before they kiss someone! Were you trying to give me a   
bloody aneurysm?”  
“Actually, I was trying to get you to shut up.” Wylan looks much too pleased with himself. He raises his eyebrows and I swear to God, this guy is salty as the Dead Sea.   
Jesper scoffs and tries to find the sarcasm insulting rather than amusing. He fails miserably and feels a grin tugging at his lips. Damn you, Van Sunshine. “Are you planning to do that every time you want me to shut up? Because in that case…”  
Kaz clears his throat quietly and says, “Can you two please stop being disgusting? Or at least wait until I’m out of earshot.”  
Used to Kaz’s pragmatic bellyaching, Jesper just scoffs and rolls his eyes, preparing a biting comeback when he realizes that Wylan’s gone pale (well, paler than he usually is). It immediately occurs to him that someone unacquainted with Kaz’s sarcasm and aversion to all romantic things would have heard his statement as something not pragmatic, but very…  
“Don’t worry, I’m not homophobic,” Kaz continues, as carefully as if he was dealing cards at a high-stakes poker game. “I hate everyone equally, regardless of sexual orientation.” He smiles coldly. “But please shove your tongue down your boyfriend’s throat some other time. I don’t particularly enjoy displays of affection, straight or not, so that applies to you too, Helvar.”  
Nina stares at him innocently from where she is nearly draped over Matthias. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  
“Yes, you do.” Kaz offers his arm to Inej and she takes it, graceful as always. They start walking down the snowy street back in the direction of the castle and the other couple follows, Nina still shouting about how her boyfriend’s only in town for a week and she’s missed him oh so much and how Kaz’s heart is made out of solid rock.  
Jesper laughs quietly and watches his friends go. Two pairs. Boy, girl, boy, girl. Perfectly ordinary couples out on dates.  
Just how God intended.  
His ADHD-ed brain can’t help but remember all the other times he’s watched his friends walking away like this: two girls and two guys, nice and straight, not a single one of them worried about dying alone because they have another person standing right next to them. All the times he’s watched them and smiled and tried to hide how desperate he was for someone to like him, feeling like a goddamn 12-year-old.  
It takes him a second to realize Wylan’s standing next to him. “So.”  
All 3 of Jesper’s brain cells combine to come up with the very eloquent response of “Yeah.”  
“What exactly does Kaz define as a display of affection?”  
Jesper stops his heart from fluttering like a mentally challenged pigeon as he stutters out, “Uh...he mostly just has a problem with kissing.”  
“So holding hands would be alright?”  
Jesper forces himself to take a breath and try not to act like the idiot he is. “Yeah. That’d be alright.”  
A cold, small hand slides into his and, for a brief, wonderful moment, Jesper’s mind quiets, all of his chaotic thoughts melting away until the only thing he can focus on is the awareness of holding someone else’s hand. He shifts his fingers so they’re intertwined with Wylan’s and starts walking after his friends, slowly, trying to savor this feeling for as long as he can.  
The silence in his mind doesn’t last very long, of course, (it never does) as he finds himself scrambling to do something, anything, to get rid of the vulnerable position he’s put himself in. He instantly comes up with a zinger, the defense-mechanism humor as familiar as anything. He uses his free hand to gesture vaguely as he says, “Well, that didn’t take long. You’re really bad at staying in the closet, you know that? Only lasted two weeks.”  
Wylan scoffs. “You’re one to talk about passing as straight. You literally put your sexual orientation on a T-shirt.”  
“I think I liked you better when you were awkward and flustered.”  
They catch up to the others and the reactions to the hand-holding are immediate. Kaz exhales loudly, as if to show his disgust at relationships of any kind (he may be ace and PTSD-ed, but he’s also in a relationship himself, which makes him a fucking hypocrite). Matt tries to hide the fact that he was staring and fails miserably. Nina gives Jesper a thumbs-up.  
Inej puts her arm around his shoulders, tugging him down a meter or so. (This is why you shouldn’t have short friends.) Her sweet expression is drastically at odds with her icy tone as she whispers, “If you hurt him, I will cut you into little pieces and feed them to rabid dogs.”  
Jesper nods. “Got it, thanks.”  
Inej smiles and starts up a conversation with Nina about the best ways to sneak into the Restricted Section of the school library and how Ravenclaw is much better than Gryffindor. Wylan joins in, like the little ball of opinions he is, but Jesper, for once, is silent.  
He’s walking down a snowy street in Hogsmeade, surrounded by his friends, holding the hand of a boy who’s adorable and smart and salty as anything.  
He’s careful not to be too optimistic, but he can’t help thinking that things may finally be looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I would try to post soon. (*john mulaney voice* and then I DIDN’T).  
> Sorry about that, but good news! This torture is almost over, since the next chapter will be an epilogue (aka me trying to fix all the plot holes I’ve probably made).  
> I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this chapter and let me know if I can improve anything since I only read this over once before posting :)


End file.
